Old Friends
by ROSSELLA1
Summary: When Bagheera runs into trouble after taking a shortcut through Shere Khan's territory,can he rely on an old friend to help him out?
1. Bagheera's Point of View

Bagheera's Point of View

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own the Jungle Book, the Jungle Books, Jungle Cubs, or any of their characters. Could take part either before or after the movie(s) (or sometime in between the chapters in the books but I'm basing the characters off the Disney versions which are different from Kipling's). I prefer to think of it as after the movies because like any good Jungle Cubs fan I can't bear the thought of Shere Khan having actually died but the reader can make up his or her own mind.

Panting, Bagheera slowed to a stop. Oh, when did the river get to be so far away? He could have sworn that when he had first marked the boundaries of his territory it had only taken him a couple of minutes to get to the river, not the fifteen it now took for him to get a simple sip of water! Bagheera had woken up in the middle of a dream, thirsty, and eager to get back to sleep, he had dashed off to the nearest watering hole. That had been ten minutes ago and he knew that he still had a ways to go. He knew he was getting old, but this was ridiculous! What made it worse was that he knew that if he went just a bit to the left, he could take a shortcut through Shere Khan's territory.

But it had been years since he could enter Shere Khan's domain. He had never been entirely welcome there, but when they were cubs the tiger would have at least allowed him to pass. Now, though, when he and Khan met they only exchanged a few terse words and went their separate ways. Bagheera doubted that Khan would take him cutting through his territory kindly. But oh, this was getting tedious!

Hmm…now that he thought about it, word around the jungle was that Shere Khan had gone hunting up in the mountains. Normally, this would mean nothing to Bagheera; he had no reason to care about where Khan went in his free time as long as it was away from the panther. But today….He knew that Khan didn't like animals to walk uninvited into his territory but if he wasn't there….And Bagheera _did_ want to get a drink of water so he could get back to sleep! But what if the rumors were false? If Shere Khan was still there or even if he had returned…

Dare he risk it? Bagheera rose to his feet and tiptoed over to the border. He listened; Nothing but the usual sounds of the jungle. Best make this quick…He had only taken a few bounds when there was a sharp, searing pain in his hind leg. His first thought was that he had somehow twisted his ankle, but when he tried to rise again, he let out a howl as the pain increased. Glancing back, Bagheera winced when he saw that his paw was in the grasp of a fanged man-trap.

Cursing aloud, Bagheera tugged only to have the trap bite even further into his leg. He tried to use his front paws to pry the thing off, but he couldn't get the angle right. He tried to use his mouth but he only succeeded in making it tighter. With a sigh, the panther gritted his teeth and flopped down.

"Hello?" He called. Bagheera was proud but even he knew that his pride had to take a spot on the back burner in this situation. If man arrived to check the traps and he was still there, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him! And if, by chance, Shere Khan returned _before_ man…well, Bagheera wasn't so sure that he would be much better off. "Hello? Is anyone there? I need help!" He did this on and off for the next half hour before giving up. It was not use; no animal that was big enough to be of any help to him would go anywhere near Shere Khan's or Bagheera's territory. Unless he could convince a mouse to get close enough to him to tell it to pass on a message to Baloo or Hathi, he was stuck here until on enemy or another came for him.


	2. Shere Khan's Point of View

Shere Khan's Point of View

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own the Jungle Book, the Jungle Books, Jungle Cubs, or any of their characters. 

When Shere Khan returned a few days later, after spending a week in the mountains, he knew something was wrong the moment he entered his territory. At first he couldn't place what caused this feeling; the trees and other plant life were the same, indicating that no humans or other pests had visited in his absence. Everything was fairly quiet so clearly the small creatures, the birds and the rodents which lived there, feared him still.

"Hmmm…." He crouched down, sniffing the ground. Just then, a rare gust of wind brought with it a scent that caused him to leap to his feet.

That was it! There was another cat in his territory! Now who would dare to enter his domain? Khan took another sniff. Not another tiger; since his mother had been shot by poachers there hadn't been another tiger within 50 miles of his territory for at least 5 years. Not a leopard, either; all of _those_ stayed clear of him. What could… another draft blew over him and… That was it! A panther!

With a hiss, he glanced around. There was only one panther that would dare come into his territory. So Bagheera had heard that Khan had gone away and had decided to use this as an opportunity to expand on his own territory! Well, that pathetic excuse for a cat would soon learn just why Shere Khan was thought of as the King of _this_ jungle!

Crouching low, Shere Khan followed the scent to just outside a small grove on the edge of his territory. Creeping along through the bushes as quietly as possible, Khan listened carefully. Hmm… that was strange; Bagheera's breathing was ragged. Could he have caught wind that Shere Khan had returned? But then he would have cleared out and Bagheera was obviously staying right where he was. What was he doing, then? Curiosity got the better of Khan and, with a growl, he leapt into the clearing.

Shere Khan expected that the panther would jump up from where he was laying when he saw the tiger and perhaps even run away so Khan was surprised when Bagheera didn't even twitch; he just stayed stretched out on the ground in the middle of the clearing. For a moment, Shere Khan was so startled that he wasn't sure what to do.

"Bagheera?" He called softly.

When the panther didn't respond, the tiger crept over to the still body. Circling around it he listened to the uneven breathing. What was wrong with his former friend? Had there been some form of pestilence while Khan was gone? Khan took a sniff. The panther didn't smell sick, just weak and-Shere Khan took another sniff; Yes! That was the scent of blood! He bent down closer to examine the other cat and gave a small laugh. The panther had been stupid enough to get himself caught in a man-trap!

Shere Khan had learned a long time ago that wherever humans went, they left these crocodile jaws to help them hunt and so he had made sure that he kept track of where the ones in his own territory were. Clearly, Bagheera had wandered into Khan's land and, not realizing where these dangerous things were, had stepped in one. Unable to pry the thing off, Bagheera had had no choice but to wait there. And by the looks of it, he'd been there for at least a couple of days. This could be quite a treat…

Clearing his throat, Khan gave the panther a shove."Well, if it isn't my old friend!"There was a groan and Bagheera's eyes blinked open.

"K-k-khan? " The panther stammered.

"Stopping by for a chat?"

"Pl-l ea…"Bagheera trailed off in a moan, weakened by his injury and hunger.

"Would that be, 'please'?" Shere Khan cocked his head to the side as a slow smirk spread across his lips. Bagheera managed a nod. "Please what?" Bagheera shifted his head in the direction of his wounded paw and then let it fall back down to the ground. "This?" He flicked the trap with a claw, causing Bagheera to whimper as it shifted inside his flesh.

"Yesss…" Bagheera hissed, glaring up at the tiger.

"And what, may I ask, am I supposed to do about it?" Shere Khan asked in an amused tone, laying down, crossing one paw over the other.

"T-t-take it off, you B-bastard!"

"Bastard?" The tiger remarked softly. "Now is that anyway to ask for help?"

Bagheera gave a whimper. "Pl-lease Khan! I'I've b-been here f-for days!"

"Yes, I can see that. By the way, why are you here? Me going away for a couple of days is hardly an invitation to move in." Shere Khan asked, examining his claws

"I-I was j-jus-" Bagheera slurred.

"Yes? You were just?" Nothing. Shere Khan glanced up, and started when he saw that the panther's eyes were closed. He gave Bagheera a poke but the panther didn't rise. "Bagheera? Bagheera!" Still not even a twitch. He put his nose near the panther's mouth. The other cat was breathing but just barely. Damn it! Scooting to the side, he bent down and closed his mouth over the panther's leg.


	3. Waking Up

Waking Up

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own the Jungle Book, the Jungle Books, Jungle Cubs, or any of their characters.

"Rmmm…" Bagheera moaned as he stirred. The first thing he noticed was that he _could_ move. Sliding his eyes open a crack, he glanced back at his paw and was surprised to see that the trap was gone and his wound had been cleaned.

"You really should be more careful, Bagheera."Came an insidious purr from his left. "Stepping into a trap like that…one might think you're not a real jungle cat."

"Uh dudn-"

"Here." Shere Khan sighed, sliding a leaf full of water towards the panther, who lapped it up eagerly.

" 'ank 'ou." Bagheera said as the leaf was quickly replaced with another and a small monkey.

"Well, you clearly are too incompetent of taking care of yourself; if you died on my land, I'd have had to smell your rotting carcass for at least a week." Bagheera chose to quench his thirst and satisfy his hunger rather than answer. "So," Khan continued, as Bagheera ate, "what, may I ask, are _you_ doing in _my_ territory? "

"I-' Bagheera had to stop to think. What had he been doing? The past few days were so hazy.

"Oh, no need to hurry." Shere Khan murmured sarcastically.

"I'm tryin' to thin'!" Bagheera snapped, his strength slowly returning. The tiger snorted and Bagheera half expected him to make another quip; but thankfully he remained quiet. Hmm… he remembered the trap…. How could he forget!...but what had he been doing before then? "I was in a trap…"

"Yes, I know." Shere Khan replied impatiently. "How about you tell me what happened before that?"

Bagheera didn't acknowledge this remark. He was in the trap…. With a frustrated growl, he plopped his head back down and took another bite of the monkey. That was it! "I was thirsty!"

"Obviously." The tiger said dismissively.

"No, I mean, I-I was going to the r-river and I was so tired and thirsty…" The panther trailed off, letting his eyes slowly close.

"WAIT!" Shere Khan snarled, leaping forward; but he was too late and Bagheera had slipped back into unconsciousness. Groaning, he banged his paw on the ground. "Bagheera!" He poked the panther with a claw.

"Mmm…" Was the only reply.

"Bagheera?" Khan sang softly. Nothing. Growling, he swung around and pounded off to the river.

Why did he always have to be the one looking out for his frie-former cubmates? One would think that now that they were grown, they would be better equipped to look after themselves! Maybe he shouldn't have helped them out so much when they were cubs; he had spoiled them by being so kind and now they were unable to take care of themselves… that was it. Well, there was no help for it now, he reasoned. He had started this problem and now it was his duty to fix it.

Reaching the river, Shere Khan snatched the biggest leaf he could find and scooped water up. Walking slowly, he made his way back to the sleeping panther. He set it down, and then repeated the action four times before deciding he had enough water. Then, stooping over Bagheera, he picked up one of the leaves and dumped it over the panther's face.

The panther gave a shocked gasp and sputtered awake. "Wha-wha?"

"You fell asleep in the middle of your interrogation." Khan supplied in a soft tone.

"And you had to wake me up that way?" Bagheera spat a mouthful of water in Khan's direction, which the tiger avoided by merely tilting his head to the side.

"I called your name. I poked you. I supposed I could have reopened your wound?" Shere Khan raised a claw.

"NO!" Bagheera shrieked, jumping back and then letting out a howl as his weight set on his wounded paw. Turning his head he licked it.

The tiger gave a low chuckle. "Relax. As you're awake, I see no reason to do so."

Bagheera sighed and let his body flop back to the ground, berating himself for reacting in such an extreme way. But one could never tell with Shere Khan and it was better to overreact than to save face. "Well, I'm awake now; what did you want to know?"

Khan exhaled noisily, "Can't you remember anything? I _asked_ what you are doing in my territory." Bagheera stared back at him blankly. "You were tired; you were thirsty…" Shere Khan prompted, impatiently.

"Oh, yes!" Bagheera exclaimed excitedly as his memories came flooding back to him. "I was taking a nap and I woke up thirsty. I went to get a drink but the river seemed farther away than usual. I was thirsty and I just wanted to get a drink so that I could go back to sleep." He glanced up at Shere Khan, searching for some kind of empathy but the tiger's expression was unreadable. "I _had_ heard you were away." Bagheera admitted, eliciting a snort from Khan. " I- I didn't think it would matter if I took a short cut through your territory. I mean you were away and it wouldn't have taken longer than five minutes…"

"Yes, well, just don't make it a habit." Shere Khan murmured and gestured for Bagheera to continue.

"Well, I only got a few paces before this…_man-trap_ bit me!"

"They'll do that." Khan remarked with a smirk.

Bagheera rolled his eyes. "Of course no one big enough to help me would be close enough to your territory to hear me." Khan's grin widened. "So I've been stuck here for the past few days." Bagheera finished.

"How unfortunate." Khan commented in an unsympathetic voice.

"Yes. Thank you for helping me." The panther tried.

"Mmhm." Shere Khan remarked

"Why _did_ you help me?" Bagheera asked.

"I told you." Shere Khan replied, suddenly becoming very interested in his paws . "The smell would have been around for at least a week."

"But you could have just had the buzzards pick me clean!"The panther argued.

"Well…then there would have been a skeleton on the edge of my territory."

"But those would have been knocked about and scattered within days." Bagheera paused, but the tiger didn't reply. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were being….a good friend."

There was an awkward silence. Then, "Yes," Khan growled, "Well...don't get used to it."


End file.
